The most northeasterly population of wood turtles (Clemmys insculpta ) was studied during 1996 and 1997 in Quebec, Canada. A total of 188 turtles (55 males, 83 females, and 50 immatures) was captured, measured and marked for future identification. The adult sex ratio was not significantly different from 1:1. Males were significantly larger than females for measures of carapace length, 214.5 and 201 mm, respectively. Wood turtles from northern populations are larger than those from southern regions. The population density was estimated to be 0.44 turtles/hectare. Courtship occurred in the spring but was more common in the fall. Nesting occurred in mid-June with nesting activity taking place at all times of the day but more frequently in early morning and evening. Females migrated over 3 km to a nesting area and exhibited nest fidelity. Sixty-six percent of turtles nested in 2 consecutive yr and these females were significantly larger than turtles that nested in only 1 yr of the study. There was no mammalian predation but, some arthropods were suspected of being predators. Mean clutch size was 10.1 (range = 5--20) eggs. Comparisons with other populations of C. insculpta are also made.

Theses (M.S.)--Marshall University, 2006. / Title from document title page. Includes abstract. Document formatted into pages: contains xi, 319 p. including illustrations and maps. Bibliography: p. 228-234.

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The effects of agricultural development on wood turtles (Clemmys insculpta) were investigated in Quebec during 1994 and 1995. Age structures, growth, and mutilation rates were compared between an agricultural population and a reference site in an undisturbed forest. Turtles in the 0-4 year age class were absent from samples taken at the agricultural site. Overall, 23% less juveniles were encountered at the agricultural site. In addition, relatively fewer adults were captured from the 20+ age class. Shell injuries were twice as common at the agricultural site when compared to the forest site; whereas, limb amputations were twice as frequent at the forest site. Although shell injuries inflicted by predators occurred with similar frequencies at both sites, there were 2.7 times more fractures resulting from anthropogenic sources at the agricultural site. Multiple limb loss occurred only at the forest site. Tail amputations occurred with similar frequencies at both sites. Casts of pleural scute annuli revealed that turtles at the agricultural site had significantly lower growth rates during their second decade of life. Females at the forest site were significantly larger for all measurements recorded; whereas, males differed only with respect to carapace and plastron lengths. Agricultural development may have resulted in reduced growth, recruitment, and predation rates, as well as increased adult mortality.

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The impact of agricultural practices on wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) movements and survivorship was investigated in a fragmented agri-forest landscape over two years. Agricultural activities and machinery contributed to the death of 20% of radio-tracked turtles. Annual survivorship of adults was 0.904 and 0.868 and for juveniles it was 0.815 and 0.831 for 1998 and 1999, respectively. Mutilation rates in adults were 90% +/- 3% in both years; in contrast, the maximum rate in juveniles was 57%. Setting the cutting height of disc mowers to 100 mm would increase harvest yields, reduce wear on machinery, decrease soil erosion, and reduce turtle mortality and mutilation rates. The concepts of integral, statistical, and linear range are introduced as distinct estimators of turtle movements. Since integral ranges include all habitats critical to survival, they provide an important contribution to our knowledge of imperiled species. Statistical ranges are stable and easily promote within and between study comparisons. Linear ranges quantify migratory and ranging movements. Thread-trailing techniques were used to record the fine-scale movements of six adult male G. insculpta translocated to an experimental hayfield patch-matrix. Although patch size had no effect on move length or path sinuosity, habitat structure did. Paths were generally straighter and move length longer in the harvested portion of a hayfield. Apparent habitat boundaries were shown to be permeable. Subjects exhibit three movement phases: agitation dispersal, local search, and ranging. Thus, G. insculpta exhibit predetermined movement patterns and move to maximize the likelihood of locating resources, while minimizing the probability of revisiting previously searched areas. Recent changes in agricultural practices and machinery are having a decidedly negative impact on G. insculpta. This study provides new insights into the movements of G. insculpta. Such knowledge will be an es

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<p>Understanding and adequately protecting habitat is at the forefront of modern conservation concerns. Turtles are especially vulnerable to habitat loss, and are therefore a top priority for habitat research. To help meet this need, I used radio telemetry to collect microhabitat data from two imperiled species of turtles that occupy a military base in Michigan. Preliminary data exploration was carried out with principal components analysis (PCA). Microhabitat use was then modeled for each species using conditional logistic regression (CLR), with a generalized estimating equation (GEE) element to limit bias due to individual variation. Finally, I compared habitat use between sympatric Blanding’s and Wood Turtles using Mann-Whitney U tests and Mood’s median tests to investigate the degree of overlap in microhabitat use when these species occur in sympatry. Evidence for microhabitat selection in Blanding’s Turtles was weak, suggesting that they likely do not make habitat decisions at this level. Wood Turtles selected sites that were farther from water and had fewer trees, less overstory canopy cover, and more ground cover. Additionally, the two species differed in several aspects of microhabitat use; Wood Turtles were more terrestrial and more tolerant of tree cover than Blanding’s Turtles. Patterns of microhabitat use found in this study match previously observed behavior of turtles in high quality habitat, suggesting that managers should work to maintain the habitat currently available at Camp Grayling. Additionally, because both turtle species were associated with open canopy, selective logging could benefit turtles provided care is given to timing and methods. </p>